Store counter



' Nov. 23, 1965 D. MAPsoN 3,219,401

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United States Patent C) 3,219,401 STURE COUNTER Donald L. Mapson, La Habra Heights, Calif., assigner to M & D Store Fixtures, Inc., a corporation of California Filed Mar. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 262,509 3 Claims. (Cl. 312 140.3)

This invention relates to store fixtures and more particularly to store counters equipped with guard rails.

The provision of suitable guard rails on counter tops has been a long-standing problem in the manufacture and installation of store xtures. For many years the counters for displaying merchandise in stores had been made of wood and provided with wooden guard rails at the edges of the counter tops. Such counters are generally made in sections to facilitate fabrication and handling and are linally arranged in end-to-end relation at the store, to provide a continuous run 2O or 30 feet in length. The guard rails are made in lengths of feet or so and mounted at the store by skilled Workmen capable of making tight, well aligned joints at the corners and where the rails abut together.

The present trend is towards the use of sheet metal rather than wood in the production of store fixtures. The metal units are less costly, easier to linish and can be shipped in partial or full knock-down condition for assembly at the store. The use of metal, however, for guard rails on counters, has not been satisfactory because the enamel finishes available for metal do not adequately resist the abrasion and scratching to which the guard rails are subjected by the customers in the store. These finishes also do not stand up Well against the corrosive action of human perspiration. One attempt to solve this problem has been to provide extruded plastic guard rails but these have lacked the necessary strength to stand up under the Weight of customers leaning on such rails.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an economical structure for a store counter having a guard rail which will lack all the defects above noted in guard rails previously provided for store counters and will possess superior characteristics in the ease with which it may be kept sanitary, in its capacity to resist stresses placed thereon by customers leaning on said rail, in the trim finish which it affords the counter, and in the long life of serviceability inherent therein by virtue of its novel construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a store counter having a low labor cost in manufacture, and which may be assembled at the store in any desired lengths by unskilled labor and at a relatively low cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide a store counter having a guard rail which is made in sections and in which the external parts of the rail subject to wear, and damage may be individually replaced at a relatively low cost in maintaining the counter in serviceable condition.

Still another object of the invention is to provide corner and sectional splices for end-to-end abutting sections or relatively angled sections which splices may be incorporated with the aforesaid sections to unite the same without the use of fasteners and by simple manipulation.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a preferred embodiment of the store counter of the present invention made in two sections, said counter being equipped with the guard rail of the invention about its entire perimeter, certain parts of certain portions of said counter being broken away to illustrate normally hidden details of construction.

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FIG. 2 is a side elevational View of the store counter shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2 and particularly illustrates the construction of one 0f the corner splices of said rail.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. 3 and particularly illustrates the diagonal septum of said corner splice which integrally unites the inner and outer angle members of said splice.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of FIG. 3 and illustrates the structure of said corner splice at a lower level than shown in FIG. 4 and particularly where said corner splice snaps over outwardly protruding beads formed along lower portions of said guard rail.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view of said corner splice.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 7 7 of FIG. 2 and illustrating the structure of one of the sections of the guard rail of the invention, and the manner in which this is secured to a counter top.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of FIG. 2 and illustrating a central portion of astraight splice of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View taken on the line 9 9 of FIG. 8 and illustrates the structure of said straight splice above said counter top.

FIG. l0 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 8 and illustrates the structure of said straight splice below the upper surface of said counter top.

FIG. 1l is a fragmentary diagrammatic perspective view illustrating a corner of the counter of the invention prior to the assembly of the guard rail shells and corner splice on the sheet metal adapters of the counter which converge at said corner.

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 and illustrates the manner of assembling a guard rail shell on a guard rail adapter and shows one such shell partially slid lengthwise onto one of the adapters shown in this View.

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. l2 and shows both of the guard rail shells of said adapters slid lengthwise into fully assembled relation with the latter. This View particularly illustrates the free space which exists between two guard rail sections which converge towards each other in right angled relation at a corner of said counter.

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13 and illustrates the corner of the counter shown in the latter view with a corner splice of the invention being introduced downwardly over adjacent end portions of said guard rail sections to complete the corner 'of said counter.

FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic fragmentary perspective View of a pair of guard rail sections of the invention disposed in end-to-end spaced aligned relation as where two counter sections meet, and shows said guard rail sections being united by the slipping 'of a straight splice of the invention downwardly into covering relation with end i portions of said rail sections.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated therein comprises a store counter 20 which is preferably made in sections 21 and includes a counter top 22 made up of sections 23. While the top sections 23 may be made of sheet metal, wood or any other suitable material, they are preferably made of sheet metal and are so illustrated in the drawings. Each section 23 is thus made of a flat rectangular blank of sheet metal, notched at the corners by bending edge portions downwardly with double bends to form vertical edge flanges 24 from the lower edge of each of which a horizontal bottom flange 25 is bent inwardly. Where a store counter 20 includes a multiplicity of counter top sections 23 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, abutting edge flanges 24 of adjacent sections 23 'are secured together in any preferable manner such as by insertin-g bolts 26 through suitable holes 27 provided in said `abutting vertical flanges. (See FIGS. 1 and 8.)

The store counter 20 is provided with a perimetric guard rail 28 made up of straight rail sections 29, adjoining end portions of which are connected together by straight splices 30 and corner splices 35. Each outside edge portion of each counter top section 23 is provided with one of the straight guard rail sections 29 which includes a sheet metal adapter 36 and a hard plastic shell 37 preferably extruded of polyvinyl chloride or of B. F. Goodrich Geon S700-A. The adapter 36 is a straight sheet metal structural element preferably formed by rolling from a blank strip of 18 gauge sheet steel and has throughout its length the cross sectional configuration illustrated in FIG. 7, which gives it great structural rigidity for its weight. The adapter is thus seen to include a base angle 38 including horizontal and vertical flange elements 39 and 40 which snugly t horizontal and vertical faces of the outside edge of a counter top section 23 and are permanently secured thereto in the factory by spot welds 41, with opposite ends of the adapter spaced uniform short distances from adjacent corners of the section 23, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 to 15 inclusive.

Bent upwardly at a right angle from the rear edge of the horizontal liange element 39 of the adapter 36 is a back wall 42 of guard rail section 29. Formed in the upper edge portion of back wall 42 by a triple (forward, upward and forward) bend is a forwardly offset vertical flange 43 and a horizontal reinforcing flange 44 bent forwardly from the upper edge of flange 43. A recess 45 is thus formed in the upper back edge of back wall 42.

The lower edge portion of vertical flange element 40 has a double (forward and downward) bend to produce a forwardly offset downwardly extending vertical flange 50.

The extruded hard plastic shell 37 for each guard rail section 29 provides a top wall 51 for said rail section, from the inner edge of which top wall a lip 52 extends vertically downwardly to occupy recess 45 so that the back face lof said lip is iiush with the back surface of back wall 42 of this guard rail section. At its front edge, top wall 51 integrally unites with a front wall 53 for said guard rail section, this wall extending vertically downward in forwardly spaced relation with the back wall 42 so as to bear against an upper portion of vertical flange element 40 of the sheet metal adapter 36, said wall 53 then being offset outwardly for the remaining lower portion of said wall to form a continuous forwardly projecting bead 54 on said Wall which terminates at its lower edge in a rearwardly reversed hook 55 which extends around and receives downwardly extending vertical flange 50 at the lower edge of the adapter 36. Extending rearwardly from the front wall 53 just below the top wall 51 and underlying reinforcing flange 44 of adapter 36 is a horizontal reinforcing flange 56. Also formed integral with the front wall 53 and extending horizontally rearwardly therefrom throughout the length of said front wall about midway between horizontal flange element 39 and horizontal reinforcing flange 44 is a relatively heavy reinforcing flange 57 the rear edge of which engages back wall 42. In an area between the flange 57 and boss 54, the front face of front wall 53 is provided with a shallow recess 58 for the reception of ornamental tape 59 the back surface of which is coated with a pressure adhesive 60 by which said tape is held in said recess.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 15, end portions of aligned guard rail sections 29, wherever counter top sections 23 are bolted together in abutting relation, are spaced apart twice the distance which each guard rail section 29 is spaced from the corner of the counter top section 23 on which it is mounted. As before noted this space is filled and said adjoining end portions of aligned guard rail sections 29 are covered by a straight splice 30 the construction of which is shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and l5. Referring to these views, the straight splice 30 is seen to be molded of hard plastic material, preferably acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), to provide a thin flat back plate 65, a thin fiat front plate 66, a cap plate 67 uniting upper edges of said back and front plates and three centrally located vertical septum plates 68 which are disposed at right angles to the plates 65, 66 and 67 and are integrally united therewith. As clearly shown in FIG. 8, the septum plates 68 have 4aligned angular recesses 69 formed therein which closely fit the adjacent edges of the abutting counter top sections 23 so that portions '70 of the septum plates 68 extend downwardly in flush engagement with Vertical edge fianges 24 of said counter top sections.

Downward extending portions 70 of septum plates 68 are formed integral with a forwardly extending boss 71 the inner face 72 of which is flush with the inner surface of the front plate 66 of said splice between said septum plates 68. Boss 71 extends for the full width of front plate 66 to provide wings 72 which extend laterally from the outermost septum plates 68 and are hollowed out to snugly fit the forwardly projecting bosses 54 on the guard rail sections 29 connected by straight splice 30. The hollowed wings '73 thus provide lips 74 at their lower ends which spring outwardly when they pass over bosses 54 and then snap in beneath said bosses when the splice 30 is slipped downwardly over guard rail sections 29 so as to hold the splice in place.

Corner splice 35 lis particularly shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 and is also preferably molded of the same hard plastic as straight splice 30 to include an inner angle element 80, an outer angle element 81, a cap element 82, and a diagonal septum 83 which bisects the angles of said angle elements and lies between the latter and said cap element to integrally unite all of said elements. The angle elements and 81 are so related by the septum 83 as to snugly fit inner and outer faces of adjacent guard rail sections 29 when these are fully assembled in converging relation as shown in FIG. 13 and when the corner splice 35 is moved downwardly over said guard rail sections, as shown in FIG. 14. The space 84 provided between such converging sections 29, as shown in FIG. 13, readily accommodates the diagonal septum 83 as the splice 35 is moved downwardly.

The lower end of the outer angle element 81 of corner splice 35 is provided with an externally enlarged boss 85 which conforms to the shape and side boundaries of the angle element 81 and includes a central angularly recessed reinforcing body 86 and hollowed out side wings 87 with locking lips 88 at their lower edges which are shaped to snugly fit adjacent forwardly projecting bosses 54 of guard rail sections 29 being joined at a corner of the store counter 20 by corner splice 35. As the downward movement of the corner splice is completed, the locking lips 88 snap over bosses 54 of said guard rail sections 29 so as to retain the corner splice 3S in snugly fitting relation with said guard rail sections, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

While it is the general practice, in manufacturing the present invention, to weld all adapters 36, required on each counter top section 23, to that section in the factory, there are exceptional cases where it is advantageous in the assembly of a complex counter structure in the field to ship one or more of the adapters separate from their sections, in which case suitable holes are provided in these few separate adapters through which hardened threadcutting screws may be inserted to secure these adapters 36 to their sections 23.

It is further to be noted that the straight rail shells 37 are applied in the factory to all of the adapters 36 which have been welded to the top sections 23. The splices 30 and 35 are shipped unassernbled and specially packed to prevent these being damaged in transit.

I claim:

l. In a counter, the combination of: a flat rectangular horizontal sheet metal counter top having a vertical flange bent downwardly therefrom at an edge portion thereof; a sheet metal guard rail adapter including a base angle portion fitting said edge portion of said counter top and spot welded thereto, said angle portion including horizontal and vertical flange elements, a vertical back guard rail wall bent upwardly from the rear edge of said horizontal angle element, the upper edge of said wall having a triple bend to form a forwardly extending horizontal flange offset forwardly from said wall, a forwardly and downwardly offset narrow vertical locking flange being formed by outward and downward bending from the lower edge of said vertical flange element; and an extruded hard plastic guard rail shell covering said adapter from above and from the front and from beneath and providing a guard rail top wall and front wall, the latter bearing against the vertical flange element of said rail base angle portion and then being offset outwardly therefrom to form a bead projecting forwardly from a lower edge portion of said front wall, said bead having an inturned hook flange which interlocks with said vertical locking flange of said adapter, said top wall of said shell being formed to interlock with said triple bent horizontal flange at the upper edge of said adapter, assembly of said shell with said adapter being accomplished by sliding said shell lengthwise with the upper and lower interlocking means aforesaid of said adapter and shell in endwise alignment.

2. In a store counter, the combination of: a flat rectangular horizontal sheet metal counter top having a vertical flange bent downwardly therefrom to form a right angle therewith at an edge portion thereof; a sheet -metal guard rail adapter applied to said edge portion of said counter top, said adapter including a base right angle having horizontal and vertical flanges, said base right angle yfitting, overlying and being united as by spot welding means to said right angled edge portion of said counter top, said adapter also including a wall bent upwardly from the rear edge of said horizontal flange to provide the back wall of a hollow guard rail; upper and lower interlocking ilanges formed respectively forwardly from and substantially co-extensive with the upper edge of said back wall and the lower edge of said vertical flange of said base angle of said guard rail adapter; and an extruded hard plastic shell having means at its upper and lower edges which intert respectively with said upper and lower interlocking flanges when said shell is slid lengthwise in close juxtaposed relation with said adapter thereby securing said shell to said adapter in a position enclosing said adapter from beneath, from the front and from above, and with the lower portion of said shell resting directly against said adapter base angle, and thus being supported from the rear by said right angled edge portion of said counter top.

3. In a store counter, the combination of: a flat rectangular counter top; a sheet metal guard rail adapter applied to an edge portion of said counter top, said adapter including a base angle having horizontal and vertical flanges fitting top horizontal and front vertical faces respectively of said edge portion, and a vertical wall bent upwardly from the rear edge of said horizontal flange to provide the back wall of a guard rail; means for securing said angle flanges to said counter top edge portion; an extruded hard plastic shell covering said adapter from above and from the front and providing a top wall and front wall for said guard rail; means on said adapter and shell which interlock, when said shell is shifted longitudinally relative to said adapter to unite said shell and adapter without requiring fastener means for this purpose and to provide a guard rail on said edge portion of said counter, said guard rail having a horizontally outwardly protruding bead on its shell adjacent its lower edge, and comprising two like sections disposed in end-to-end aligned spaced relation along the straight edge portion of said counter top; and a straight splice molded of hard but springy plastic to slidingly fit downwardly over the spaced end portions of said aligned guard rail sections to cover said end portions and give continuity to said guard rail sections, said straight splice including a flat, thin inner plate overlapping and fitting inner faces of said `guard rail section end portions, a thin outer plate overlapping and fitting outer faces of said guard rail end portions, septum means disposed vertically in the space separating said guard rail sections and extending between and uniting middle portions of said plates, and flexible lip means on the lower edge of said outer plate which yieldably fits over said lower bead with a snap action when moved downwardly vertically thereover, to retain said splice in place.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 123,708 2/1872 Kinne 20-92 X 281,435 7/ 1883 Bienhoff 20-900 X 995,410 6/ 1911 McClure 312-140.4 X 1,010,269 11/1911 Klocke 220-83 X 1,357,062 10/1920 Knight 312-140 X 1,818,404 8/1931 Kaufman 312-140 1,915,046 6/1933 Bales 3l2-140.3 1,961,486 6/1934 Hall 312-140 2,079,635 5/1937 Sharp 189-34 2,088,077 7/1937 Wood S12-140.3 2,123,264 7/1938 Walter S12-140.3 2,183,805 12/1939 Bloomfield B12-140.4 X 2,195,318 3/1940 Modray 20-74 r2,457,002 12/1948I Spiro 217-69 X 2,614,014 10/1952 Stanitz 108-27 2,728,957 1/1956 Keller 312-l40.4 X 2,981,580 4/1961 Hansen 108-2'7 FOREIGN PATENTS 527,860 7/1956 Canada.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner, 

3. IN A STORE COUNTER, THE COMBINATION OF: A FLAT RECTANGULAR COUNTER TOP; A SHEET METAL GUARD RAIL ADAPTER APPLIED TO AN EDGE PORTION OF SAID COUNTER TOP, SAID ADAPTER INCLUDING A BASE ANGLE HAVING HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL FLANGES FITTING TOP HORIZONTAL AND FRONT VERTICAL FACES RESPECTIVELY OF SAID EDGE PORTION, AND A VERTICAL WALL BENT UPWARDLY FROM THE REAR EDGE OF SAID HORIZONTAL FLANGE TO PROVIDE THE BACK WALL OF GUARD RAIL; MEANS FOR SECURING SAID ANGLE FLANGES TO SAID COUNTER TOP EDGE PORTION; AN EXTRUDED HARD PLASTIC SHELL COVERING SAID ADAPTER FROM ABOVE AND FROM THE FRONT AND PROVIDING A TOP WALL AND FRONT WALL FOR SAID GUARD RAIL; MEANS ON SAID ADAPTER AND SHELL WHICH INTERLOCK, WHEN SAID SHELL IS SHIFTD LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO SAID ADAPTER TO UNITE SAID SHELL AND ADAPTER WITHOUT REQUIRING FASTENER MEANS FOR THIS PURPOSE AND TO PROVIDE A GUARD RAIL IN SAID EDGE PORTION OF SAID COUNTER, SAID GUARD RAIL HAVING A HORIZONTALLY OUTWARDLY PROTRUDING BEAD ON ITS SHELL ADJACENT ITS LOWER EDGE, AND COMPRISING TWO LIKE SECTIONS DISPOSED IN END-TO-END ALIGNED SPACED RELATION ALONG THE STRAIGHT EDGE PORTION OF SAID COUNTER TOP; AND A STRAIGHT SPLICE MOLDED OF HARD BUT SPRINGY PLASTIC TO SLIDINGLY FIT DOWNWARDLY OVER THE SPACED END PORTIONS OF SAID ALIGNED GUARD RAIL SECTIONS TO COVER SAID END PORTIONS AND GIVE CONTINUITY TO SAID GUARD RAIL SECTIONS, SAID STRAIGHT SPLICE INCLUDING A FLAT, THIN INNER PLATE OVERLAPPING AND FITTING INNER FACES OF SAID GUARD RAIL SECTION END PORTIONS,A THIN OUTER PLATE OVERLAPPING AND FITTING OUTER FACES OF SAID GUARD RAIL END PORTIONS SEPTUM MEANS DISPOSED VERTICALLY IN THE SPACE SEPARATING SAID GUARD RAIL SECTIONS AND EXTENDING BETWEEN AND UNITING MIDDLE PORTIONS OF SAID PLATES, AND FLEXIBLE LIP MEANS ON THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID OUTER PLATE WHICH YIELDABLY FITS OVER SAID LOWER BEAD WITH A SNAP ACTION WHEN MOVED DOWNWARDLY VERTICALLY THEREOVER, TO RETAIN SAID SPLICE IN PLACE. 